The border between Russia and Estonia will de-facto remain unchanged

Monday, August 26, 2019

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The border between Russia and Estonia will de-facto remain unchanged, the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry told Estonian television. "The border will de-facto stay within its current limits," Alexander Yakovenko said. "But it is hardly normal that Russia and Estonia have failed to agree on the border in compliance with international law. This problem could be settled, if Riigikogu (the Estonian parliament) had not made the border treaties' ratification contingent on political reservations, which have absolutely nothing to do with the treaties." According to Yakovenko, the Russian Foreign Ministry does not intend to hold any extraordinary consultations with the Estonian Foreign Ministry and is maintaining its position that new negotiations are needed. "But this does not mean that we will discuss any new border lines," the Russian diplomat said. Russia says that intermediaries from third countries or the European Union are not needed to solve the border problem between the two states, but hopes that European Union member states will share their vast experience of EU membership and friendship with Russia with their Estonian colleagues," Yakovenko said. Russia and Estonia signed bilateral land and sea border treaties on May 18 in Moscow. But on June 27 Russia announced it would withdraw its signature from the documents because the Estonian parliament had added political claims to the treaty when it ratified it. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 3 that Russia's withdrawal from the border treaty with Estonia was correct. "Even if disputable political assessments of the past are left on one side," the Russian leader said, "I consider it completely unacceptable for any state to give legal grounds for its territorial claims to another country within contemporary united Europe."

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